Liverpool Medical Institution

Liverpool Medical Institution

If you are walking along Hope Street or up Mount Pleasant you can not help but notice the fine building that occupies that site next to the new Everyman Theatre, the Liverpool Medical Institution stands on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Hope Street.

The building opened in 1837 and is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. The Institution’s origins go back to 1779, when it was formed originally as the Liverpool Medical Library by a group of local doctors. The library was associated with the Liverpool Medical Society which was formed in 1833. The two later merged and thus formed the Liverpool Medical Institution. This provided the medical profession with a collection of books and journals. The orthopaedic surgeon, Henry Parle had personally assembled a large collection of medical reference material which was housed in the institution. The institutions founder was Dr John Rutter (1762-1838). Dr Rutter envisioned a centre that would provide not only a meeting place but also somewhere that members of the medical profession could develop their skills. Doctors using the institution could enhance their skills, take examinations and learn new codes of conduct established by professional bodies.